Manchester United are in the seventh month of the takeover process and the fears of supporters are coming true.
Not only could the Glazers stay, but the saga is now running into the summer. Erik ten Hag does not know who will be running the club next season and, more immediately, what budget he has to play with.
He has insisted he can still carry out his transfer plans should the situation drag on into the window, which opens in just three weeks.
Ten Hag has been doing his work early, already progressing with a deal for Mason Mount and now looking at striker alternatives to Harry Kane having gained an initial negative response from Tottenham.
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However, he has already warned both of United’s takeover frontrunners not to come to the table without a set strategy. Todd Boehly’s ownership of Chelsea, which has allowed United to swoop for Mount, is an example of seemingly muddled thinking given the money spent, the managerial changes and a bottom-half-of-the-table finish.
Asked last month whether a takeover can cause problems for a club and its manager, Ten Hag replied: “Absolutely, yes. When there is no strategy behind it, or the right strategy, money doesn't work.
“In this moment, let's say there is a centralisation of good players, of the best managers, also of the money, it is all here in the UK. That makes a great competition, but also a tough and a hard competition.
“You have to do the right things. You can have money but you have to spend it in a smart way. Also, you need a strategy behind it because, otherwise, the money doesn't work.”
Both Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have set out their broad ambitions for the club. Sir Jim wishes to make the Reds “the number one club in the world once again” while Sheikh Jassim has vowed to “return the club to its former glories both on and off the pitch.”
It’s a good start but then again such statements were inevitable, it would be a cardinal sin if no such objectives were outlined. Ten Hag has to field takeover questions diplomatically - after all, he is talking about his future boss.
But that makes it all the more poignant that the Dutchman has sent a warning about causing mayhem and disruption at Old Trafford, especially after the debut season he’s had. United are heading in the right direction despite a lack of clarity, but Ten Hag knows this cannot continue for long.
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